


Hope Remembered and Renewed

by pansexualfandommess (redvelvetrose), SincereJester



Series: Rise of Ben Solo [3]
Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: Armitage Hux Has Feelings, Armitage Hux Needs A Hug, Ben Solo Needs A Hug, Everyone Needs A Hug, F/M, Finn Needs A Hug (Star Wars), Implied Poe Dameron/Finn, Kylo Ren and Rey Are Not Related, Poe Dameron Needs A Hug, Redeemed Ben Solo, Rey Needs A Hug
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-28
Updated: 2020-01-28
Packaged: 2021-02-27 10:08:24
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,409
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22455478
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/redvelvetrose/pseuds/pansexualfandommess, https://archiveofourown.org/users/SincereJester/pseuds/SincereJester
Summary: The memorial for General Leia Organa and all of those who died in the Battle of Exegol. Everyone needs a hug. Some more than others. Hux has.... feelings(????). Ben gives a speech.
Relationships: Kylo Ren/Rey, Rey & Ben Solo, Rey & Ben Solo | Kylo Ren, Rey/Ben Solo, Rey/Ben Solo | Kylo Ren
Series: Rise of Ben Solo [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1586332
Comments: 7
Kudos: 21





	Hope Remembered and Renewed

"You should attend, Armie," Seela urged. "We're all going to be there. You could just stand with me; it's not like we'll be near the center of it."

“I... I’m not certain that it would be appropriate, Captain. I barely knew General Organa, and she had no idea who I was. I would... I would not want to claim a place that someone more deserving might need,” Hux offered as excuse. More to the point, he didn’t want to risk anyone in the Resistance recognizing him and giving him away, particularly not with their beloved princess’ death front and center. He didn’t fancy the idea of being torn apart by a grieving mob. 

"The memorial isn't just for General Organa; it's for all we lost. A public mourning." Seela set down her data pad on the stack of storage crates that they had been cataloging. "And it's also a celebration. Of their lives, our memories. And... it’s part of going on. Healing. I'd really like for you to be there, with me." 

He took a deep breath, looking down. “I... I don’t... I don’t deal with crowds well. In the face of the grief of others, I might...” he drifted off, licking his dry lips. Two fingers hooked gently under his chin, currently sporting a bit of scruff after several days without a razor. He looked up at Seela, taken by the care in the Twi’lek’s golden eyes. He swallowed hard, the task a bit more difficult due to the dryness of his throat. “I... very well. I will go with you. Just, please, please promise me that we’ll be in the back where few can see us.” 

"Wear your scarf," she suggested, knowing he used it not only to evade prying eyes, but to keep his own feelings in check. Seela imagined that there hadn't been much acceptance of those kinds of emotional displays in the First Order ranks, Finn's frank openness aside. Armie was so self-contained and seemed to rarely show any emotion at all… unless you looked closely at his eyes. She found it was very easy to gauge his feelings by reading those green eyes. The fact that he seemed to be more relaxed around her, especially in private, was a sign of improvement, she felt. And she hoped he might open up to her at some point before they parted ways. 

He took a deep breath and nodded, touching the aforementioned scarf around his neck. It wasn’t particularly cold on Ajan Kloss, but the scarf was muted enough that it hid his face without drawing attention to the fact that he was covering it at all. His red hair, however, was more difficult to conceal. Then again, red hair was not so rare in the galaxy, thus he was likely worried over nothing. “How long do think it will take?” he asked, still a bit uneasy. “We have a lot of work to get done. You know, in here.” He had stopping counting the number of times he had felt like an idiot around Seela. A pair of pretty eyes and he was tripping over his own tongue! He could sense his cheeks heat and he looked down, hoping to hide it. 

After that first night, he had thrown himself into the endless task of organizing and distributing acquisitions without reservation, and seemed to thrive on the calculated efficiency of creating lists and records. It kept him from having to dwell too much on his current predicament. Admittedly, it had the added benefit of limiting his public interaction with anyone other than droids and Seela. 

"Not long," she assured him. "We don't need to stay for all of it, but...I think it would help you to be there, even just for part of it." 

"Very well," he said, nodding crisply to cover up his uncertainty. He turned his attention back to his borrowed data pad. "I've counted through these pallets and everything seems to be in order with them. But I think we are missing one whole pallet. There should be a pallet of various X-Wing parts for repairs and new coverings for a BB unit. It's possible that Dameron grabbed that one before we got to it." 

Seela shook her head. It was possible, although General Dameron had been so busy with the increased administration duties of his own that she wondered when he would have had time. She picked up the data pad. "Well, let's go over this shipment again; it probably was just misplaced. Happens all the time, especially with this temporary set-up." 

"Fair enough," he agreed, kneeling down to read off serial numbers to her for accuracy. 

** 

Rey paced just outside of the Falcon arguing with herself over whether she should venture into the forest and look for Ben or not. 

They'd had a fight. Well, not a fight exactly. There were no weapons involved, just some strong words. She had suggested that he should attend the memorial for General Leia and the others who had died in the battle. He had protested, reacting more like a trapped animal than someone who'd been asked to attend an event in the memory of their own mother. 

He'd argued that he wasn't ready yet. She had countered that it wasn't a question of 'ready'. This memorial was going to happen with or without him, and there wasn't time for him to 'be ready'. If he missed it, he would regret it later. 

Now, she was wondering if she had pushed him too far. He'd torn out of the Falcon and into the forest without a word. More worryingly, he was ignoring her attempts to reach out to him. 

She could sense where he was: their Force connection was just as strong, if not stronger than it had been before Exegol, and constant. She doubted either of them would be able to hide from each other anywhere in the galaxy, but that meant that he was deliberately ignoring her. And that would also mean that she had pushed too hard. Or that he was just being stubborn, or something... Rey sighed, throwing up her hands in frustration. Either way, how would running away help? It just meant she'd have to go find him. 

She abruptly stopped pacing and headed into the greenery. It wasn’t long before she found Ben. He was sitting on a rock cross-legged, back straight, head slightly bowed. She stopped, realizing that he was meditating. Quieting her steps and her mind, she drew closer, reaching out to him both physically and through the Force. 

He didn't need to adjust his position or say anything; they were aware of each other's presences. Ben was calm, like the surface of a pond, letting the Force simply surround them and the world around them. Rey felt rather than saw Ben open the communication between them again, as her fingers reached his shoulder. 

His calmness soothed her in turn. “Ben? Are you all right?” she asked softly, squeezing his shoulder. “I’m sorry I raised my voice. I know this is difficult.” 

He raised his head, looking off into the distance at the open swath of land by the tree line. This one was longer and narrower than the ones dotting the foothills of the Rebel base, and recently overgrown. "I'm all right," he answered softly, glancing at her. "And it wasn't a fight, really. More like an argument, or a disagreement." 

"I still yelled. Guess it comes from living by myself for so long. No one could hear me no matter how loud I screamed if I was angry or frustrated." She sat down next to him, leaning her head in his shoulder. "I just... you'll regret it if you don't go. And regret is just an exhausting, gnawing emotion..." 

"I know." He shifted to allow her to settle more comfortably against him. He lapsed back into silence. It was odd, this new tranquility he radiated. It wasn't like his passionate fire was extinguished; more like it was contained. In a way it was comforting, but it was still novel. "It's just...they're not gone. I can feel them. And this place--" He shook his head. 

"What about it?" she asked, looking up at the tree canopy overhead. She'd known the Force was strong here from the moment she set foot upon it. Ben was picking up on that, obviously, but there was something else niggling at him that she couldn't quite see. Memories. "You've been here before. You know this planet," she stated suddenly. 

Ben nodded, gesturing out at the clearing. "Out there," he said vaguely. "My uncle and mother came here, after Endor. And Luke came back a decade later." 

"This... this was where Luke's temple was," she suddenly realized. "This is where you trained to be a Jedi. You spent most of your life here." She looked around, letting Ben's memories fill in the blanks. The course she'd run with Leia watching had older roots; the spot where the temple had once stood, now full of thick foliage from the nourished soil; and the smaller clearing where young Ben Solo's hut had been. 

"I came here with Luke when I was ten," Ben affirmed. "I lived here for thirteen years, before..." He let the recollection trail off. "I didn't burn it down. And I didn't kill anyone here, either. I just...ran." 

Rey frowned at him. He'd said before that he did burn down the temple and she had tasted the lie then, but she had foolishly assumed that everything else he said was untrue. "I know..." she said softly, almost wonderingly. "I know you didn't hurt anyone... except for knocking out Luke. And he... kind of deserved it at that point." 

Ben shuddered, his Force presence shivering along their perceptions. "We were all being manipulated to some degree. My uncle underestimated how much the Dark Side still influenced him. It overshadowed all his achievements, inflated his aspirations. They were so pre-occupied with how unbalanced I was, that they couldn't see their own conflicts." He sighed. "I believed the lies, too. I thought I was a monster, and everyone thought so, also, so I became one. It was so easy...especially after my mother's secret came out. I didn't even fight it; I just gave in. Became what everyone had always told me that was my destiny to become." He shifted slightly, abruptly changing the subject. "Luke wanted to train my mother to be a Jedi master like him. She went through the training, too; even built her own lightsaber. She became a knight." 

"I know," she nodded. "Luke gave me her saber. He said that Leia had a feeling that someone else would pick it up. Guess she meant me," she said leaning a bit closer against him, hand moving to rub along the length of his spine. "She was training me here... the obstacle course. I've been running it." 

Ben regarded her thoughtfully. "My mother accepted a lot of things that she didn't--couldn't--before. She completed her training, built that lightsaber...and walked away from it. From becoming a Jedi master. From her own brother and his mission. She kept it a secret, you know, even from my father. It didn't take him long to figure it out, of course. As much as he hated the idea, even he eventually accepted that the whole Jedi way, the Force; all of it was real. I think he was hoping he'd be able to ignore it, once she chose a life with him." 

Rey took a deep breath, “She had a very compelling reason to stop.” She remembered what Luke had said: that Leia had a vision that her son would die if she completed her training to become a master. Ben had been no more than a spark of light at the time. Rey wasn’t sure that he had any idea of the reason. 

"Me," Ben whispered. "She did it...for me." 

Rey nodded. “She’d had a premonition, I guess... that you would die if she finished her training. I’m not sure what to make of that. But I know she wouldn’t risk your life.” 

"She was afraid," Ben argued. "She sensed the shadow over me even before I was born. For a long time, she thought that shadow was from her, from the man she only knew as Darth Vader. She feared her own strength in the Force, feared she would fall to the dark side if she continued as a Jedi knight. Sidious was already poisoning her mind, too; she hid that secret so deep inside that she didn't even think it was a lie. It's why she sent me away, here, with my uncle, instead of training me herself." Ben paused, his voice heavy with emotion. "She feared, that as a Jedi, she'd kill me, if only to prevent the dark side from rising again...or to fall to it herself." 

Rey frowned. “Ben, don’t make it out to be something selfish. You know more than anyone how terrifying that darkness is when it’s not your own, but it feels like it is. She stopped to protect you. She loved you more than anything.” 

"It wasn't selfish," Ben countered. "It was fear. Fear of her true father, and what she could become. No, it wasn't selfish; it was the opposite. She chose to turn from her Jedi path to save my life; to save both our lives, really. She had learned that ability and foresaw that she'd need to use it, to save us all." 

She nodded, relaxing when she felt the gentle acceptance in him. “And that’s why you should be at the memorial. To honor her... to see how she touched the lives of everyone here.” 

Ben sighed again, getting to his feet. "I already know that, Rey; I feel every single one of them. They need this; I don't. She was their leader, their general, their princess--" He paused on the path, looking back to her. "--but she was my mother." 

Rey stood, going to his side and slipping her hand into his. “Whatever you decide, I’ll not argue further,” she assured him, standing on her toes to kiss him gently. “Let’s get something to eat. I’m starving.” 

Ben chuckled, giving her a quick kiss back. He understood her request as a way to set aside the issue and resolve their differences. Besides, he enjoyed cooking for her. He squeezed her hand lightly as they walked back to the base and the Falcon. 

** 

The day of the memorial was heralded by mist, a gentle and cool sensation in the air that was a relief after so many days of humidity and heat. Dressed in her clean, white clothes with her Alderaan-inspired hood up, Rey headed to the gathering crowd by herself. Ben had stayed behind, silent but with his grief written on his face. He couldn’t bring himself to go, so she had given him a long kiss and assured him she would be back as soon as possible. 

In the days since the battle on Exegol, there had been many memorials and eulogies, some public and some private, but this one was to be the final official assembly. Ajan Kloss had always been a temporary outpost, and the shutdown of the Resistance base had begun almost as soon as they had returned from Exegol. 

The gathering was centered in the massive limestone cave that housed Organa's flagship, the Tanative IV. The crowd filled the cavern to the walls, everyone respectful and quiet as the speeches were given. It was solemn but not particularly sad; occasionally there was laughter over some happy recollection or remembered quip, and each of them contained some note of hope or inspiration. 

Rey stood by Finn and Rose, the tree of them a bit focused on Poe. Poe had often said Leia was like a second mother to him and her death had hit him particularly hard. D’Acy spoke, reminding everyone how Leia would have hated everyone waxing rhapsodic about her instead of finding hope and joy in their work. 

Finn was doing his best to contain his reactions. It was an odd feeling, picking up on the emotions of those around him, in particular Rey, Poe, Rose, even Jannah... people he felt particularly connected to, he realized. With Rey, there was a kind of echo that puzzled him. Poe...well, that was an interesting dynamic that he was just beginning to explore in actuality, let alone through the Force. 

Poe was lost in introspection. There had been far too many of these types of ceremonies during his time in the Resistance: he couldn't help but recall Leia Organa's own words to him about dead heroes. He hoped he had gained a greater understanding of what she meant since then, after witnessing Admiral Holdo's sacrifice and the decoy distraction of Luke Skywalker on Crait. Those deaths were from leaders, heroes who sacrificed themselves to save others, not to show some kind of bravado or seek revenge. It made him cringe inwardly to think of how hot-headed and how driven he had been to just fight...and the cost of that impulse. 

Leia Organa had thought he had learned that bitter lesson, and had passed the torch to him to carry on the fight, but they still had her to guide and inspire them until now. Losing her was painful enough, but Poe realized that not having her to help rebuild as she had before was all the more a tragedy. It felt like they were adrift, lost without her. 

Rey squeezed Finn's hand as Poe took the stage. He spoke earnestly, remarking on the speeches of others to sum up: Rose's ‘we won by fighting for what we love’, D'Acy's reminder about finding hope in the darkest of moments, even Finn's plea to be lenient and caring to any remaining First Order survivors, as most of them had no choice in their fates. He spoke, too, of Leia's heroics as their leader but also chose to focus on her kindness and compassion. 

He faltered as he recalled how Leia had acted after his own personal tragedy when he was a child, all but adopting him after his mother died. “Leia became my mother, not to replace my own, but to continue for the one I had lost. She became that for so many of us. And now we’re orphans again. We’ve lost our mother. I doubt anyone can replace her, and I don’t know who will become our mother now. Who will continue to be that for us?” He paused, trying hard to find enough of a voice to go on through the thick emotion threatening to choke him. “Maybe that’s what we can take from this: we need to be that for each other, now. The war’s over. We survived, we won, because of Leia Organa and the others like her, because of their hope and love. Now, it’s up to us to keep that hope alive, and to continue to nurture that love for all our futures.” 

Poe stepped back, yielding the floor. He had never really been one for speeches and ceremony, and this felt raw and exposed, but he knew it was important to say it. The expressions on his friends' faces--Rey, Rose, especially Finn--was all he needed to open the emotions he had tried to contain; he didn't stop the tears as they embraced him. 

Lingering in the back with Seela, Hux found himself rooted to the spot by the various speeches. He realized that he'd never been to anything even remotely similar. The Empire and the First Order did not grieve. They did not pause to think of their own losses beyond what it would take to replace them, with little regard paid to whether it was a bit of machinery or a human life. Dead Stormtroopers and indeed, even dead officers, were brushed aside and left to rot. He'd never thought much of it before, he certainly didn't expect anyone to mourn him should he die. 

This. This outpouring of emotion and support was... all but an alien concept to him. Yet, he found himself moved by it. And the suggestion of clemency for the First Order? Unheard of! The First Order would never pay the Resistance the same compliments were their positions reversed. 

They won because of their loyalty to each other as much as to the Resistance, he thought to himself. The familiar lump of jealousy made him swallow hard. But it was different this time. Previously, he'd been jealous of Ren mostly, of his favor with Snoke. This jealousy was an ache, a yearning for the warmth he felt among the Resistance members. He knew he was not included and it actually pained him. 

"Armie?" Seela took his hand in hers, her voice quiet and filled with concern. "We can leave, if you need…" 

Hux shook his head, not trusting himself to speak. He squeezed her hand gently, trying to assure her that he was fine even though he clearly was not. The sound of quiet weeping echoed through the cave, as many of the assembled were reacting in the same way; a rippling tide of emotion flowing through them all, swirling around the knot of hugging friends at its center. 

Rey was the first to react, eyes wide as she stiffened. Finn reacted the same way, a moment later. A low gasp whispered through the mass as it parted, clearing a path for the single person who appeared, moving forward with quiet purpose directly toward them. 

She swallowed hard, glancing at Finn briefly before reaching out to Ben, as if drawing him closer to them. Once he was near enough, she pulled him into a tight hug. The hum of surprise silenced for a brief moment as they embraced. She could feel their confusion over who this young man was and why she was hugging him so tightly. "I'm glad you came," she whispered to him, pressing a kiss to his cheek. 

Ben turned from her to Finn, giving him a small nod, and regarded Poe, who was just standing and blinking at him with red-rimmed eyes. Something unspoken passed between them as they stared at each other. Wordlessly, Ben opened his arms and drew Poe into a tight embrace, leaned his face into his neck, and wept. 

"Just like before," Poe remarked to Ben in a whisper. 

"Just like before," Ben replied, just as quietly. "Except then it was your mom, and you were eight, and I was four." 

"I remember," Poe nodded. Never one to shy away from physicality, he hugged Ben tightly, rustling his hair lightly, as he had often done when they were kids. "Do you... do you want to say anything?" he asked cautiously, not wanting to provoke another round of tears. 

"Want to? No. But I need to, for them; for all of us, I suppose." 

"Floor's yours, buddy," Poe said with a slight smile. "If you want me to introduce you, I can." 

"No, it's fine; I can do this." Stepping away from Poe, Ben looked over to Rey before addressing the crowd. His voice was clear, broadcasting to the whole assembly. "Most of you probably don't know who I am," he began. "I am Ben, the son of Han Solo and Leia Organa, and Luke Skywalker's nephew. They were my family. But they also were heroes, and legends. Through that, they became part of you, too, and will always be, forever." 

Ben paused. "I-- I miss them," he said simply. "We miss them. We're sad, and we're grieving. We're all grieving," he repeated, before pausing again. "But we're not just grieving the people we've lost," he continued. "We're grieving circumstances, relationships, missed opportunities. In fact, we may be grieving for ourselves; the version of ourselves that we might have been if things had been different, or if only we had said something, or if someone had stood up for us or we had for someone else. And it's good and it's right to grieve those things, to grieve now, because it allows us to embrace other circumstances, new relationships, future opportunities. That's how we can honor them now, and keep their memories alive. That's what they'd want us to do." Ben's gaze grew distant. "The Force was, and is, strong in my family," he concluded, "And now, we're all family. May the Force be with you...always." 

The silence was deafening as Ben's words reverberated off the stone walls, only to be broken with a thunderous applause and cheers from all around him. Rey smiled broadly, running over to him and hugging him tightly. "Oh, Ben... that was wonderful. Looks like you do have a good dose of your mother's eloquence in you." She pulled away only to stroke his hair back. "How do you feel, love?" 

Ben gave her a sheepish smile. "Relieved that's done," he replied truthfully, hugging her in return. 

Poe soon joined them. "Good job, Ben. Way better than I was doing. Thanks for the rescue," he said, putting a hand on Ben's shoulder. "Good to have you back... but I'm kinda miffed you're taller than me." 

"You're just upset that I'm not literally looking up to you anymore. Gives you the advantage in an X-wing cockpit, though," Ben pointed out. 

"Man, you are a menace in a TIE fighter, don't even try to tell me I'd stand a chance against you in a dogfight" Poe shook his head. "Between your parents and your uncle, I'm surprised you weren't born wearing a flight suit." 

"Like you, you mean?" Ben teased. "Admit it, you'd always wanted to fly a TIE, and the modified ones are even better." 

"Well, I did fly a TIE fighter once. But it was shot down before I could really enjoy myself," Poe countered. 

"Not by me," Ben reiterated. 

"I know it wasn't by you," Poe shrugged. "If was by you, I would have said that you shot me down." Poe grinned. "Don't worry about it, Ben. It's all good." 

"If it had been me, you wouldn't have had the chance to fly another one," Ben reminded him, but he said it without malice. 

Poe laughed, "Yeah, yeah, okay, hotshot." 

From their distant spot, Hux and Seela watched the exchange, even as everyone else started to disperse and make preparations for the Resistance to pack up and leave. "I didn't know you were buddies with Ben Solo. Want to go over there and join them?" Seela asked, still holding his hand. 

Hux recoiled as if she had blasted him. "Absolutely not!" he exclaimed. He hadn't meant to startle her with his outburst, and quickly went on. "We weren't 'buddies' or anything of the sort, that's all." He sighed, feeling even more miserable than before. He had been cordial and appreciative to Seela, and he valued her friendship to the point of hoping it might become something more, but he had been deliberately vague about his former existence. For all the talk of new beginnings and forgiveness, Hux was certain that he would likely spend the rest of his life with his past haunting him. "Really, I'd rather just go back to the alcove, and look in on Millie... if it's all the same to you, Captain." 

"It's okay," she said, recovering from the surprise quickly. "I'll come with you. I could use a little down time after all that." Her hand still in his, she walked with him, quietly contemplating the memorial. 

Rey rubbed Ben's back gently as she stood by his side, letting him talk with Poe. Their easy camaraderie was relaxing to her and apparently had much the same effect on Ben. "Ready to head back to the Falcon?" she asked as the conversation lulled a bit. 

"More than ready," he answered as Finn called to Poe and they made their farewells. Finn seemed uneasy around him--not surprising, considering--but he had wanted to thank him for the rescue on Exegol. It was no secret that the former stormtrooper had formed a strong friendship with Rey, one that was enhanced by their shared Force sensitivity, but he didn't appear to want to extend that friendship to Ben. Perhaps it was also just Finn's ambivalence about his own abilities in the Force, but Ben regretted not being able to bridge the gap between them. 

"It'll take time, love," Rey said to him as they walked back to the Falcon and headed up the ramp. "Finn will warm up to you. You love me. And you were childhood friends with Poe. Those are points in your favor." 

Ben just shook his head, bemused. Rey hadn't even noticed how easily she had read his thoughts and sensed his feelings. That could be both an advantage and disadvantage in the future, one that they'd have to address. "It's fine," he said. "Poe and I shared a childhood, to some extent; I have no issues there. Finn's circumstances couldn't be more different. And Rey, I'm not expecting the whole galaxy to change, or even accept things are different now. Grieving takes time." 

"I know," she assured him, squeezing his hand. "I don't care about the entire galaxy... but I do hope that you and Finn can become friends. He's quite dear to me. Not in the same way you are, obviously," she was quick to add, not wanting to somehow make Ben feel jealous. Inside the Falcon, in their quarters, she turned to face him, hands on his shoulders. "I love you, Ben... and I'm very proud of you for braving through all of this." 

Ben cupped Rey's face tenderly. "I know; I know all of that. We'll see what happens, but I think Finn will be more occupied with Poe for the time being...and maybe others." Bending to her, he gave her gentle kisses on her forehead, her cheeks, before capturing her lips with his own. 

Smiling into the kiss, she allowed the subject to drop, wrapping her arms around his neck and pulling him down to her level. "I need a damn stool to kiss you properly!" she laughed when they parted. "Either that, or you need to learn how to stoop without hurting your back." 

With a wide smile, Ben reached down and scooped Rey up in his arms. "Problem solved," he said, still grinning. 

"Well, aren't you the genius?" Rey smiled, laughing. "Okay, okay, you show off. Put me down!" She kicked her legs a little, not wanting to be dropped but still a little nervous about being picked up like this. 

Laughing, he set her down on her feet and gave her a small bow. "Of course, Master Rey." 

“Master Ben... shall we adjourn to bed for a well-deserved bit of... private time?” she asked, blushing despite her bold words. 

"I'm not a Jedi master, Rey," Ben chided gently as he straightened. 

“Technically, neither am I,” she reminded him with a smile, pulling him towards the bed. “Now stop arguing semantics with me and get undressed, Ben Solo.” 

Grinning, Ben followed her lead, tugging at his clothing. "You're sure you don't want me to wear a cowl or something?" 

“Absolutely sure,” she laughed, undoing her jacket and slipping it off. Her trousers and boots swiftly hit the floor as well. If nothing else, they were both getting very good at getting naked in record time. 

Physical contact of any kind appeared to make their Force bond flare to vibrant life, and this time was no exception, but it was more gentle, steady in its gradual glow. It surrounded them like crackling embers, or swarms of flickering insects in the warm jungle flora outside. With every touch, the barrier of their skin seemed to dissipate, melting into a passionate eddy of shared desire. 

She sighed his name softly, letting him lift her up this time, straddling his waist while he held her steady. Closer now, she bent her head, kissing along his neck, taking time to explore each freckle and mark, licking a gentle stripe along his pulse. Soft mewls and gasps escaped her with every caress of his hands over her back. 

With eager grunts and gasps he answered her. Each sound spurred him on; he gripped his hands at her sides, cradling her against him, pressing up between her straddling legs. 

With a hungry growl, she pulled back to capture his mouth with hers, kissing him deeply, tongue twining with his. Her fingers combed through his hair, so soft and silky against her fingertips. 

Still carrying Rey and matching her kisses with his own, Ben staggered to the bed platform, rolling down on the bed pad and arranging her on top of him with an impatient growl. 

Rey had to shift a little, moving down so she was straddling his thighs rather than his stomach. No sense in risking an accidental bit of pain. On top of him, she had a lot more room to move around. She bent down over him, kissing his chest, letting her hair trail along his skin. 

His hands reached up again to pull her hips closer against him as he arched up to the attention of her mouth on his front. Their shared energy glittered around them like shooting starlight, the bright streaks of hyperspace. He urged her to move against him, pleasuring them both with each stroke, and he ached to seat himself within her. 

"Ben..." she whined softly, arching her back and slowly rocking her hips, canting them in such a way that the length of his cock slid along her folds, already swollen and wet. 

Ben hissed with excitement, his arms splaying out to his side, hands grasping the padding beneath them. He stared up at her with lustful intensity, the sight of her naked ecstasy driving him on. "Rey," he gasped, just repeating her name like a mantra. "Rey..." 

She licked her lips, a wicked glint in her eyes. "Mmm... I can feel how much you like this," she purred in his ear. "You're aching to be inside of me, aren't you?" 

Eyes dark with need, he groaned. "You know I am; and you want me just as much..." One hand grabbed at her, gripping her behind as he pressed up against her harder. 

The movement caused him to drag firmly along her folds. slipping between them at her apex, making her gasp at the contact. "Yes..." she whispered breathlessly. "Yes, I do..." She swallowed hard and reached down between their bodies, fingers curling around him. Stars above, he was big! Ben was tall and broad and his cock matched him perfectly, long and thick and currently throbbing hard against her fingers. 

Ben curled his hips down, panting. His eyes were locked on her as he nodded, urging her on. Despite the urgency, it was a gentle and deliberate entry, with Rey's firm and careful guidance easing him in. Her fingers fell away as she surrounded him and settled with a blissful sigh. Ben reveled in the radiating wet warmth of her encompassing him, momentarily motionless. She was utterly erotic in that position, her expression beginning to show their shared abandon. 

She held for a moment, just luxuriating in the feel of him filling her. "Fuck, you feel good," she panted softly. Another moment and she lifted her hips, feeling him slide almost all of the way out before she eased him back in. Something about slowing down that full thrust so they both could feel every inch was indescribably sensual. 

His hand moved from behind her and slid to the front, delving along the edge of their union to rub against the round point of her apex. Keeping the circular motion with his thumb in synch with her slow rocking, he lost himself in the leisurely pace, each thrust rippling through them with gradual rising intensity. 

"Ben!" she gasped, her hands flat-palmed on his chest for balance. The added sensation of Ben toying for her aching clit served to ratchet her pleasure higher. Her thighs shook from the effort of keeping her cadence and not tipping over the edge too soon. She swore softly, her arms starting to tremble, she was actually afraid that she was going to lose her balance and tumble to the floor. 

"Rey -” Ben gasped through gritted teeth, "- let go. I've got you." Her hands on him were like conduits, energy skating across his skin. He moved inside her like a piston, driving her closer and closer to the tipping point. 

She whined softly, torn between doing as he said or making it last longer. In the end, her body made the decision for her; the shaking spiraled up her spine and her hips seemed to move of their own accord, riding him hard. "Ben!" her voice quavered as everything inside of her tightened, her slick walls milking at him, her back arching, her fingers clawing along his skin. 

He swiftly withdrew his hand from between them, feeling the cascade of pleasure rush through her, pulling at him. He grabbed her waist as he thrust up, hard, crashing together with a tidal intensity, meeting her release with his own. 

The pleasure slowly ebbed, though Rey was still trembling, her breath coming out in staggered bursts. "Ben..." she moaned his name softly, allowing herself to lean forward and rest her weight on his chest. 

"I know, I felt it, too," he murmured, gulping in air. Softly he stroked her back, cradling her against him, feeling their rapid heartbeats begin to slow. Their entwined presence in the Force remained even as their bodies parted, surrounding them in a blissful calm. 

"Considering how inexperienced we are with such things... I'd say we're really good at making love, wouldn't you?" she laughed breathlessly, kissing the underside of his jaw, the barest bit of stubble rasping against her lips. 

"Safe to say we have an added advantage," Ben observed. He knew he'd have to move soon, to clean up at the very least, but he'd rather stay in the moment, just holding Rey against him, surrounded by the familiar hull of the Falcon and the vibrancy of life beyond the ship. Soon they'd all be scattered across the galaxy again; seeds of the future sown across the stars, and in time this little moon would return to the rhythms and cycles of its own. _In time,_ Ben thought. _Something we finally have enough of._


End file.
